Alternative Energy Classes, Pets-Only Food Drive

When he returned to Harper College this fall, Garrett Brucato already had an Associate
in Applied Science degree in Electronics Engineering Technology under his belt and
was happily working as an electronics installer. His new goal: an additional certification
in alternative energy.

Alternative Energy Classes

When he returned to Harper College this fall, Garrett Brucato already had an Associate
in Applied Science degree in Electronics Engineering Technology under his belt and
was happily working as an electronics installer. His new goal: an additional certification
in alternative energy - a new College offering that he says is a sure way to make
himself more marketable in a go-green era. "It's good for companies to see that you've
had your hands in this type of technology," says Brucato of Carpentersville, a member
of Harper's inaugural solar energy class. "You're going to need technicians to maintain
this kind of solar and wind energy equipment. It's a great way to get your feet wet."
The College's solar energy course - a first step toward the new Alternative Electrical
Energy Certificate - drew 16 students for the fall term. Buoyed by a recently announced
$63,000 Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation grant, which helped with the purchase
of new lab equipment, Harper will add a wind energy course to the curriculum this
spring. The entire Alternative Energy Certificate program, geared to those already
in the industrial electronics industry and those just starting out, requires credits
in solar and wind energy and a variety of other electronics courses. "There's new
work coming in to various industrial electronics areas that specifically is alternative
energy-related," says Associate Professor George Hoeltje, who heads the Electronics
Engineering Technology Department. "Solar energy, in particular, is a big deal. This
new certificate taps into that trend, and helps people learn the skills they need
to compete for these jobs." The formation of Harper's new Alternative Electrical Energy
certificate comes amid a national push to be more environmentally friendly. An American
Solar Energy Society report suggests the number of U.S. jobs in renewable-energy and
energy-efficiency industries could grow to as many as 40 million by 2030. For more
on the certificate, contact Hoeltje at 847.925.6528 or ghoeltje@harpercollege.edu.

Last year, Jennifer Pitek's annual effort to help the homeless yielded nearly 700
canned food items - and 180 pet toys, 64 leashes and collars and 111 pounds of dog
treats. This year, she's hoping for even grander results for her Harper College-based
"Santa Claus for Paws" campaign - an annual drive to benefit the four-legged residents
of Illinois animal shelters. With many shelters bustling with pets but also strapped
for cash amid the down economy, Pitek, an administrative secretary in Harper's Center
for New Students, says this year's donations are important. "In the recession, many
shelters are taking in more animals, but donations aren't increasing. They're finding
themselves in need of basic supplies, including food," Pitek says. "I want to do all
I can to help." Pitek launched the cats-and-dogs-specific drive eight years ago, after
watching donations from Harper faculty and staff pile up during routine campus food
drives. The drive, which she coordinates with mathematics instructor Jamie Leinss,
has seen significant results - with Harper employees, students and area residents
donating everything from pet beds to monetary gifts in memory of a beloved dog or
cat. Last year's tallies included more than 350 pounds of dry food, nearly 150 blankets
and towels, 16 carriers and an assortment of pet clothes and other items. Needed items
this year include dry and canned foods; sturdy dog toys; bedding; treats; and collars
and leashes. Pet supply gift cards also are welcome. Donated items will be sent to
Cinderella's Hope Cat Rescue in the Carpentersville/Dundee area, Crittergal Rescue
in downstate Carterville, the downstate Perry County Humane Society, and an assortment
of other local and downstate shelters. Donations will be accepted through Thursday,
December 23, and again after Harper's campus reopens on Monday, January 3 following
winter break. Drop boxes are located at the Center for New Students, Room C104 in
Building C; the Building A main entrance; the Career Center, Room A347 in Building
A; the Liberal Arts Office on the main floor of Building L; the Building L south entrance;
the Math Lab, Room D105 in Building D; the first floor of the Harper Library; the
Tutoring Center, Room F315 in Building F; outside the Access and Disabilities Office,
Room D119 in Building D; the Math and Science Division Office, Room Y103 in the Avanté
Center; and other locations on the main floor of Avanté .

Harper College is offering a free workshop aimed at helping local residents understand
ways to reduce their federal income taxes. The "Income Tax Strategies" seminar, which
comes ahead of tax return season and in the midst of national uncertainty over future
tax rates and changing federal tax legislation, is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, December 8
in Room Z117, Building Z in the Avanté Center on the College's main campus, 1200 W.
Algonquin Road in Palatine. Led by accountants Craig Levin and Angela Scott, the session
will provide an overview of current federal tax legislation and tax rates; offer methods
for accelerating or deferring income, deductions and tax credits to achieve lower
taxes in 2010 and beyond; suggest strategies for lowering federal income taxes; and
more. Levin is a senior director with the manufacturing and wholesale distribution
practice of RSM McGladrey, Inc., and has more than 30 years of experience providing
entrepreneurial clients with accounting, tax and advisory services. Scott is a tax
manager with the high net worth practice of RSM McGladrey, Inc., and has more than
a decade of experience providing accounting and advisory services to mid-sized businesses
and high net worth families. The income tax event is the latest in the 2010-11 Harper
Heritage Seminar Series - a collection of free monthly information sessions sponsored
by the College's Educational Foundation. Sessions are led by industry professionals
as a public service to the Harper community. To register for the Income Tax Strategies
seminar, or for a full list of the other upcoming free sessions, call 847.925.6490
or visit www.harpercollege.edu/foundation.

Harper College's vocal and instrumental ensembles will stage a host of winter concerts
this season, offering the public everything from steel drums and big-band jazz to
chamber singers and classic symphony orchestra performances of holiday favorites.
All concerts will be held in the Performing Arts Center on the main campus, 1200 W.
Algonquin Road in Palatine.

Tickets for the Festival Chorus are $15 for general admission; all others are $10
for general admission. Discounts are available for students and seniors, and children
ages 12 and younger are admitted free. For tickets, call 847.925.6100 or visitwww.harpercollege.edu/boxoffice.

With his backpack tossed on a laboratory counter and a grin on his face, Mount Prospect
resident Corey Yarbrough describes what he's up to this semester: Working alongside
Harper College Chemistry Professor Dan Stanford, he'll spend hours each week - outside
of class - reducing a complex molecule under intense light. It is, he says with a
grin, "knowledge for the sake of knowledge." It's also a unique opportunity. Yarbrough
is part of Harper's 2010-11 undergraduate research program - a yearlong study that
gives students the rare chance to perform hands-on, real-world, independent research
projects in the College's state-of-art labs. "These opportunities typically aren't
available to community college students," Chemistry Professor Tom Dowd says, "or even
to freshmen and sophomores at four-year colleges." The program was launched in 2005
with a National Science Foundation grant; five years later, with help from subsequent
grants and Harper funding, it's flourishing. About five dozen students have signed
on since the program's inception, including this year's class of 12 researchers. The
program's roughly 50 alumni all have gone on to pursue a four-year degree in a related
discipline, earning more than $300,000 worth of scholarships to transfer colleges
and universities along the way. Dipti Patel is among the graduates; Patel, one of
Harper's first research students left Harper in 2004 and graduated this May with a
Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich. She credits
Harper, and Professor Stanford, with jumpstarting her passion. "I loved chemistry
because of it," she says. This year's researchers will dedicate about 10 hours weekly
to their projects throughout the academic year. They'll also have the chance to research
with professors and undergraduate students at four-year colleges this summer; Yarbrough
will spend his time at Hope College in Holland, Mich. At the year's end, they'll present
their projects to 100 or more Harper professors, industry professionals and others,
and may also travel to regional or national conferences to formally present their
findings. "Not a lot of students our age," Yarbrough says, "get to do this level of
research in laboratories like this."

Media Note: Research students are available for interviews and photographs in the
labs. Contact Erin Brooks, Media Relations Specialist, 847.925.6159, kpohl@harpercollege.edu.

Adult Financial Aid

Casimir Kwiatkowski used to think financial aid was only for teenagers. Now, as a
56-year-old dad and Harper College student, he's discovered the reality: It can be
for him, too. The Hanover Park resident is studying business through the College's
Fast Track program for adults - and getting funding help through a much-appreciated
grant. "I think a lot of adults don't know that they can get help," he says. "I didn't
know until I filed." With an eye on helping others like him through the process, Harper
this fall launched College Money 101 - a series of free seminars specifically showcasing
the financial assistance options available to adult college students. The next edition
will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. and from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, December 8, and will
offer information on financial aid and scholarship eligibility for the Spring and
Summer 2011 semesters; the different types of federal and state aid; application steps
and guidelines; and the variety of available online grants, loans and scholarships.
Attendees also will have help completing the Free Application for Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA) form - the first step in receiving financial aid. "There are so many adults
who have been putting off college because they don't think they can afford it," Recruiting
Manager Phil Mortenson says. "They're often surprised to learn that they qualify for
financial aid - even if they're only part-time students." The December 8 sessions
will be held in Room I225, Building I, on Harper's main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin
Road in Palatine. All adults (ages 25 and older) interested in enrolling at Harper
are welcome. To complete the FAFSA at the event, participants will need to bring a
driver's license, social security card, and 2009 tax information, including the federal
tax return and W-2 forms. To RSVP, call 847.925.6058 or visit www.harpercollege.edu.